Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the recycling of waste material. More particularly, it relates to the processing of polystyrene or vulcanized materials for recycling into a reusable substance.
The increasing production of industrial rubber goods, tires and other polystyrene products has resulted in the accumulation of large quantities of rubber and polymeric waste materials which find no practical application. In the United States alone, over 200 million tires are discarded each year.
Several methods that break down rubber and other polystyrene matter into a reusable material has been shown. Where cryogenic destruction is used, the rubber or other material can be pulverized for recycling.
Presently, the cryogenic recycling processes require the use of liquid nitrogen or solid carbon dioxide to lower the temperature of the material to be recycled to a point where a subsequent impact or cutting produces a powder. These cryogenic processes are very expensive to implement due to the need for a large plant for liquid nitrogen or solid carbon dioxide production. Thus, the present cryogenic processes are uneconomical in view of the large amount of rubber and polystyrene waste currently produced.